Video Copyright Scenario - During a recent high school U.S. History class, the teacher, Mr. B., showed the PBS documentary The Civil War: A Film by Ken Burns to his students. Apparently, the movie was a hit with students based on the fact that the librarian, Mrs. Dobbs, overhead students talking excitedly about some scenes.
“It’s great to see teachers using the library’s resources like that to teach his curriculum in an exciting way,” said Mrs. Dobbs to her co-librarian.
Later that day when Mr. B. came through the library, Mrs. Dobbs mentioned to Mr. B. the nice things students were saying about the documentary.
“Hey, thanks for letting me know,” said Mr. B. “The one copy you have is always checked out from the library when I need it, so I just taped that several years ago from a Channel 9 TV special using my VCR at home, so you are welcome to borrow a copy. I made several.“ “NO! What are you thinking?” Thought Mrs. Dobbs. “How can I tactfully set him straight?”
Mrs. Dobbs could begin by explaining to Mr. B. that the library strives to keep its collection current and accessible. Therefore, if Mr. B. noticed that this documentary was always checked out when he needed it, the librarian could have ordered an additional copy for the library’s collection. At this point, she could meet with Mr. B. to review a copy of the PBS Education Media catalog to see what additional DVDs he would like to order to use with his curriculum this year. In addition, Mrs. Dobbs will need to remind Mr. B. that due to copyright laws, it is required that an authentic copy of the movie be shown, not an unauthorized copy. Lastly, she could also offer to check out a copy of the Ken Burns documentary well in advance so that he will have an authentic copy to show his students next time.
Digital Plagiarism Scenario - Coach C was planning to use a laptop cart in his classroom, but there was a scheduling mistake. So, at the last minute, Coach C contacts the library to ask if there is availability to use the computer lab. Luckily, there is room for his class. It seems Coach C has assigned his students a PowerPoint project. The assignment has students choosing a sport and explaining the basic rules of the game. The presentations must include at least six images. Soon after the class arrives, Mrs. Dobbs, the librarian, looks around and notices a student clicking on the St. Louis Cardinals website in an effort to copy and paste images in his PowerPoint about baseball. When she finally sees a copy of the assignment sheet Coach has handed out to students, she notices that he’s mentioned going to Major League Baseball team websites, NBA websites, National Football League sites, and so forth to gather their images. The project does not require a works cited page. This all comes as a shock to Mrs. Dobbs. What should happen here? Mrs. Dobbs should act immediately, as this could be a highly teachable moment. She could begin by speaking to Coach C privately regarding the concept of Fair Use and copyrights of digital images that she notices the students using illegally for their project. She could also show the coach the point blank statement on the MLB’s website that notes that these baseball images “may not be used without the express written consent of Major League Baseball.” Next, she could ask students to stop working for a few minutes in order to correct their projects in a responsible manner. Then, she could show students some safe options and sources for copyright-free images they should use for their projects, and explain why this is important. Sites such as http://search.creativecommons.org/, www.pics4learning.com, and www.morguefile would be good choices for students. Also, she should point out the fact that many of these sites allow one to modify, or adapt the images to their needs so it’s a win-win situation.
Video Copyright Scenario -
During a recent high school U.S. History class, the teacher, Mr. B., showed the PBS documentary The Civil War: A Film by Ken Burns to his students. Apparently, the movie was a hit with students based on the fact that the librarian, Mrs. Dobbs, overhead students talking excitedly about some scenes.
“It’s great to see teachers using the library’s resources like that to teach his
curriculum in an exciting way,” said Mrs. Dobbs to her co-librarian.
Later that day when Mr. B. came through the library, Mrs. Dobbs mentioned to Mr. B. the nice things students were saying about the documentary.
“Hey, thanks for letting me know,” said Mr. B. “The one copy you have is always checked out from the library when I need it, so I just taped that several years ago from a Channel 9 TV special using my VCR at home, so you are welcome to borrow a copy. I made several.“
“NO! What are you thinking?” Thought Mrs. Dobbs. “How can I tactfully set him straight?”
Mrs. Dobbs could begin by explaining to Mr. B. that the library strives to keep its collection current and accessible. Therefore, if Mr. B. noticed that this documentary was always checked out when he needed it, the librarian could have ordered an additional copy for the library’s collection. At this point, she could meet with Mr. B. to review a copy of the PBS Education Media catalog to see what additional DVDs he would like to order to use with his curriculum this year. In addition, Mrs. Dobbs will need to remind Mr. B. that due to copyright laws, it is required that an authentic copy of the movie be shown, not an unauthorized copy. Lastly, she could also offer to check out a copy of the Ken Burns documentary well in advance so that he will have an authentic copy to show his students next time.
Digital Plagiarism Scenario -
Coach C was planning to use a laptop cart in his classroom, but there was a scheduling mistake. So, at the last minute, Coach C contacts the library to ask if there is availability to use the computer lab. Luckily, there is room for his class. It seems Coach C has assigned his students a PowerPoint project. The assignment has students choosing a sport and explaining the basic rules of the game. The presentations must include at least six images. Soon after the class arrives, Mrs. Dobbs, the librarian, looks around and notices a student clicking on the St. Louis Cardinals website in an effort to copy and paste images in his PowerPoint about baseball. When she finally sees a copy of the assignment sheet Coach has handed out to students, she notices that he’s mentioned going to Major League Baseball team websites, NBA websites, National Football League sites, and so forth to gather their images. The project does not require a works cited page. This all comes as a shock to Mrs. Dobbs. What should happen here?
Mrs. Dobbs should act immediately, as this could be a highly teachable moment. She could begin by speaking to Coach C privately regarding the concept of Fair Use and copyrights of digital images that she notices the students using illegally for their project. She could also show the coach the point blank statement on the MLB’s website that notes that these baseball images “may not be used without the express written consent of Major League Baseball.” Next, she could ask students to stop working for a few minutes in order to correct their projects in a responsible manner. Then, she could show students some safe options and sources for copyright-free images they should use for their projects, and explain why this is important. Sites such as http://search.creativecommons.org/, www.pics4learning.com, and www.morguefile would be good choices for students. Also, she should point out the fact that many of these sites allow one to modify, or adapt the images to their needs so it’s a win-win situation.